


What if I lose/Is what I think to myself

by lesbianbean



Series: you want the world/well what's it worth? [5]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: American Politics, Arguing, Boss/Employee Relationship, Denial of Feelings, Developing Relationship, F/F, Hotel Rooms, Hurt/Comfort, Night Terrors, Overworking, PTSD, Rule 63, injuries, poor communication
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-05-31 10:18:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19423963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbianbean/pseuds/lesbianbean
Summary: It's the middle of the summer, and Megatron has a plan to become majority leader. She won't let herself be distracted, even by her new chief of staff.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is set roughly six months after the events of "Let's Get Caught Downtown in the Whirlwind" if you're curious about timelines.

April had ended in a shining moment of triumph as the Senate passed her pro-labor bill after killing Prime’s amendment. That night, Megatron, Starscream and Soundwave celebrated in her office with a bottle of single-malt whiskey.

“You’ve both done well,” Megatron said as they clinked their glasses together. “Don’t get too comfortable here. Next session, we’ll be in the majority leader’s office.”

An hour later, Soundwave headed home, trailed by her daughters, who had fallen asleep on the office couch somewhere else around midnight. Starscream complained about being tired and wanting to go back to her apartment but she didn’t resist at all when Megatron took her arm and led her down the hall towards her second office, pausing only briefly to silence her constant whining with a kiss. 

“I hate you,” she hissed when they broke apart, her pretty eyes glittering. Megatron slipped her thigh between her legs and pressed their bodies together, swallowing her gasp with another kiss. Her whole body was humming with the energy of standing on the Senate floor, of defeating Prime, of her seemingly infinite night of triumph. Before Starscream, she would go to the shooting range and fire bull’s-eye after bull’s-eye until her arms were numb and her shoulders prickled with heat. This session, however, had provided a new way to burn off the constant furious energy that built up under her skin while she worked at the Capitol. Her new chief of staff was fierce and hungry and made Megatron furious half the time, but this session had been one of their most productive yet. And of course, she thought, as she pushed the girl back onto her mahogany desk and reached for the tiny clasps on her garter stockings, there were other benefits as well. 

* * *

May was accompanied by the weather rapidly changing from late winter to early summer (spring generally lasted a week in Washington.) A dense layer of humid air settled over the city, and the whole Capitol building felt like the inside of a cave, smelling like cherry blossoms and the Metro. Starscream complained about the humidity every day, pressing her expensive cold drinks to the back of her neck and rolling up her blazer sleeves. Megatron wasn’t bothered by the heat at all. She was in her element, making plans for reforming financial regulations and investing in new energy sources. Prime was due to announce her campaign for president any day now, and when she did, everything would be ready. 

Or at least she thought she would be, until Starscream missed two crucial meetings with the current aging majority leader. 

“I should have expected this kind of incompetence. This is what happens when you hire someone without experience.” Megatron turned her back on her chief of staff, who was slumped in a chair across from her desk, lighting a cigarette. 

“Senator, it was--I accidentally deleted it from my calendar.”  
“That’s a good explanation when you’re in eighth grade debate club, but this is the real world, Starscream, and I expected you to do your job.” Starscream didn’t say anything, which was a first. Megatron couldn’t stand to look at her. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

“I’ll do better. It was a mistake, Senator.”

Megatron glared at her and she seemed to shrink in her chair. “No, the mistake was me trusting you to handle it. Get out of my office.”

* * *

She should have been pleased with the results of her little talk with Starscream. Every day for the next week, she was at the office when Megatron arrived to work and was often still working when she left. Megatron sent Soundwave to meetings, keeping her chief of staff at her desk where she could keep an eye on her. Starscream had complained about that before but now she kept her head down and worked, without her usual snarky quips. It was what Megatron had wanted, so there was no explanation for why she felt unsatisfied with it. 

She stopped at Starscream’s desk. “Where are we on the energy plan?”

Starscream didn’t look up. “I’m nearly finished with the proposal on nuclear power.”

“Good.” She hesitated. “I want you to meet the CEO of Wonderway for lunch today. It’s Thursday, so he’ll be at the Occidental.”

“Oh.” Surprise flashed across her chief of staff’s face. “All right.”

“Be in my office ten minutes before you go.”

“I do know how to do a lunch meeting, your worship.”

“Watch your tone.” 

She had expected Starscream to fire something back, but Starscream just looked back down at her computer, and Megatron walked back to her office, disappointed without entirely understanding why. 

Her annoyance was further compounded because Prime _still_ hadn’t announced, which was _ridiculous_. Soundwave had suggested just implementing what she called “Operation Majority Leader” without scheduling it around her rival’s movements, but Megatron was _not_ about to let whatever the fuck was going on with Prime ruin her meticulously plotted plan.

And _then_ any hope that Starscream was actually committed to improving her behavior vanished as they discussed the lunch meeting. “I also need you to go over the finer points of our energy subsidies. Do you understand?” Starscream stared blankly at her. “Starscream!”

“Yes?”

“Are you listening to me?” 

Her chief of staff nodded. “Yes, of course.” 

“Really? Because you appear to be distracted. Is there something more important going on that I’m unaware of?”

“No, of course not, Senator. I’m fully committed to, um, addressing the issue of solar energy--”

“It’s _wind_ energy. Did you even read the briefing?”

Starscream looked offended. “I did!”

“So you did but didn’t remember any of it, which is somehow worse.” Megatron reached for her phone to call Soundwave. This was ridiculous. She supposed it was her fault, bringing someone as young and inexperienced on to do this job but she had expected Starscream to put in a modicum of effort. 

“Megatron, let me explain--” She heard Starscream pushing her chair back and rolled her eyes.

“Don’t bother. I’m scheduling Soundwave for this meeting, since I apparently can’t depend on you for anyth--” There was a thud and she looked up from her phone, startled. Starscream was sprawled out on the floor. Her face looked vacant again, and Megatron’s fury evaporated in a second, replaced with icy panic. “Starscream!”

“I’m--I’m okay.” Her chief of staff tried to scramble to her feet and fell backwards, the color rushing back into her face in an embarrassed wave. “Really, it’s fine, I just--”  
“Shut up.” Megatron wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her up easily, guiding her back into her chair. 

“Megatron, I--” Megatron ignored her and grabbed a glass off her desk, filling it with water and shoving it into her hand.  
“Drink this.”

“I’m not thirsty.”

“You’re dehydrated, you idiot. Drink.” Starscream glared at her and raised the glass to her lips. Her hand was shaking.

Megatron stuck her head out of the office. “Soundwave.”

“Yes, Senator?”

“I need you to meet with the wind energy CEO.”

“No.” She heard a clatter behind her and turned to see Starscream half out of her chair again. “I can do it, I just need a cup of coffee.”

“You’re in no state to answer a phone call from a news blogger, let alone attend an important meeting. You’re staying here.”

“I’m _fine_. Just let me--” Starscream grabbed her arm, her grip tight even though she was still shaky. “It’s happened before--”

“This has happened _before?_ ” 

“It’s not a big deal.”

Megatron was abruptly furious again. “What makes me think I would send you out to represent my office in the state you’re in, Starscream?” Starscream flinched like she’d been struck and Megatron shoved down the flicker of guilt she felt and turned to Soundwave. “Let me know when you get there, Soundwave.”

Soundwave nodded. “Suggestion: contact medical assistance.”

“I don’t need a doctor!” Starscream practically stomped her foot. “I’m fine, I read the briefing, let me do my fucking job, you _assholes!_ ” Megatron turned to Starscream, expecting her to be furious, but she looked scared instead. “Please. I can do it.” 

Megatron swallowed hard around the sudden tightness in her throat and took Starscream’s elbow. She could feel her pulse racing through the fabric of her thin blouse. “Soundwave, if you don’t mind--”

“Affirmative.” Soundwave scooped up her briefcase. “I will keep you both informed of the results.”

Starscream made to follow her but the senator easily pulled her back, leading her to the couch. 

“Megatron--”

“When was the last time you slept more than an hour?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

Starscream looked away from her and Megatron took her chin in her hand, forcing their eyes to meet. “Answer me, Starscream.”

“I--Last weekend.”

Megatron looked more closely at her face, noticing the extra layer of foundation covering up the circles under her eyes. “Have you drunk anything besides your overpriced coffee today?”

“Of course!” Megatron glared at her and her expression faltered. “No.”

“All right.” She stood up to get Starscream another glass of water and Starscream tried to stop her.

“My work has been excellent. Obviously this is a little bit of a problem but I’ll be fine in just a minute, there’s no reason to--”

“If you can’t responsibly hydrate, why on earth do you think you’ll be able to be the least bit effective in this meeting?” Starscream’s cheeks were flushed and Megatron wondered if it was from anger or fever. “Lie down on the couch and get some sleep. We’ll talk when you’re better.”

Starscream slammed the glass of water on the table and attempted to stand up, letting out a shaky breath. Megatron grabbed her arm. “What is _wrong_ with you?”

“You’re the one who keeps telling me that you’ll fire me if I let you down, and that I’m--I’m a disappointment, and I’m fucking doing everything I can, so stop treating me like I’m fucking fragile and let me do my job!” The girl’s voice broke on the last word and she turned away from Megatron before she could see her face.

“Starscream.” 

“Don’t look at me!”

Megatron placed a hand on the middle of her back, noting with concern how tense she was. Starscream shuddered at the contact. “Starscream—listen, it’s—I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“I’m not hurting myself!”

Megatron sighed. It would have been so much easier if Starscream had just not read the briefing. She knew how to deal with that. But she couldn’t bully self-destructiveness away. If only she hadn’t sent Soundwave to the meeting--she had no doubt that her policy expert knew how to handle this kind of thing. “Look, when I was in the army, I would go for weeks without sleeping or eating properly.” Starscream turned to look at her, confused. “It ended with me getting shot.” It had been months before her crewmates stopped joking about her falling on her face. “I know it feels good to work until you can’t stand up anymore. You feel superhuman. I get it. But it’s not going to result in your best work. And...” She was definitely going to regret saying this but some part of her insisted that she do it. “I need you at your best.” Starscream didn’t move but she felt some of the tension ease from her body. 

“You need me?”

Of course that was what Starscream would focus on. “I’m not going to say it again.” 

Starscream shrugged off her hand. “I wasn’t saying that because I wanted you to say it again.”

Ah, there she was. “Drink the rest of your water.” Starscream rolled her eyes, but she drank the water. Megatron took the glass, patting her on the cheek. “Good girl.”

Starscream squirmed away, glaring at her. “Fuck off.” Megatron easily caught her around the waist, pulling her back down onto the couch. “Hey, what are you doing?”

“I told you already. You’re going to get some sleep.”

“Seriously?”

“This isn’t negotiable. If you do try to sneak off I’ll tie you to the couch.” Starscream smirked at her, opening her mouth. “Not that way, so don’t try it.” 

“You’re unbelievable.” 

Megatron reached into the compartment under the couch and pulled out a pillow and the knitted afgan she used for late nights. Starscream tried to get up and Megatron pushed her back down. “Do you want me to tuck you in, princess?”

Starscream snatched the knitted blanket out of her hands before she could try it. “I’m going to murder you.”

“I look forward to it.” She patted Starscream on the cheek and walked back to her desk. Her chief of staff huffed angrily and turned away from her on the couch. Megatron listened as her breathing evened out, watching her shoulders relax.

Megatron concentrated on her work for another hour and then couldn’t resist walking back over the couch and sitting down next to where Starscream was curled up, adjusting the blanket so it covered her bare shoulder and brushing some loose curls out of her face. Her dark skin was soft, and cooler than it had been earlier. She felt a tight, possessive feeling in her throat and for a moment she was frightened it would choke her. 

“Megatron?” Starscream’s eyes half opened, foggy with sleep.

“Go back to sleep. It’s all right.”

Starscream’s face softened again, and then she rolled over, uncurling slightly. In her new position her head was resting in Megatron’s lap. 

Megatron could have just moved her back. She should have, but something stopped her. _Starscream needs to sleep_ , she told herself, trying to justify it. And she was a light sleeper, and once she woke up, she would immediately demand that Megatron let her out of the office.

She would move soon. 

* * *

**Two hours later**

Soundwave returned from the Occidental with half a cauliflower steak in a doggy bag and the promised allyship of the Wonderway CEO. 

“Senator?” She poked her head into Megatron’s office. “The meeting went well. I believe we’ve secured--” 

“Shhh.” Megatron was sitting on the office couch. Soundwave took another step into the office and realized why. Starscream was sleeping on the couch, and her head was resting in the majority whip’s lap.

“Senator, you have a meeting in fifteen minutes.”

“Cancel it.”

Soundwave noticed that Megatron was protectively resting one of her hands on Starscream’s head. “Affirmative.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starscream is a cat, you can't change my mind.  
> This fic was born when I saw a post that was like "how would your otp handle the other person being hurt?" and I thought "sounds fun and quick." You'll notice this is two chapters long, so clearly it wasn't quick (it's never quick why do we always think it'll be quick)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megatron doesn't ever get hurt, except when she does. Starscream doesn't care, except when she does.

It was the last week of May, and her boss had been invited to the Energy of the Future convention in Miami, an event that the chief of staff was apparently supposed to accompany her on. Starscream, who had never set foot in Florida and did not want to, suggested that Megatron bring Soundwave instead. Soundwave informed her that she had “done her time.” 

“Additionally,” she added, “Megatron does not trust you to be in the office alone.” 

The flight was a blur. Starscream put on her headphones when they hit cruising altitude and worked through it, not looking at her boss or any of the passengers. When they landed, it was almost midnight, and nearly a hundred degrees. Starscream ached for the drier California heat, the heat humanity had actually evolved to manage. 

“ _God_ , they couldn’t have had this convention literally anywhere else?”

“Shut up, Starscream,” Megatron snapped. The majority leader’s face was mostly hidden behind her sunglasses but she could see her mouth was set in a tight line. She considered snapping something back at her but their taxi to the pulled up before she could. “Get in.”

Their hotel was a sleek glass and metal building that combined blinding whites and bright, splashy colors. Starscream wasn’t sure if she liked or hated the aesthetic. 

The woman at the front desk smiled at them apologetically. “I’m sorry, but your room was double-booked. I’ve got you set up with a single at a discount, and we’ll let you know if a double opens up later.”

Megatron nodded. “Understandable.”

“No, sorry, not understandable.” Starscream pointed at the receptionist. “We made our reservation two weeks ago.”

“I know, ma’am, but we’re willing to offer a discount on—”

“A discount? Do you have any idea who we _are,_ you little—”

“Thank you for your time.” Megatron grabbed Starscream’s elbow and pulled her away from the desk. Her grip remained impossible to break until the elevator doors closed. “What on earth is wrong with you?”

“What’s wrong with _me?_ ” Starscream shook her hand, glaring at her boss. “You were just going to stand there and let us get ripped off?”

“That woman was just doing her job. When you represent my office you _will not_ speak to service workers like that.”

“Why the fuck not?”

“Because she works a low-wage job that hinges on being polite to bratty little divas like you.”

“I’m being bratty because I want the hotel to give us the room they promised us?”

Megatron sighed. “I shouldn’t expect you to understand.”

Her disappointment stung more than her anger, and Starscream crossed her arms and looked away as the elevator bumped to a halt. 

* * *

Starscream was deep in a conversation with a tall woman who owned an electric car company when she looked over at Megatron. The senator was speaking to a CEO. She looked uncomfortable, Starscream thought. Not just the usual irritation she always had when speaking with people she couldn’t stand, but something worse. Maybe she had a tension headache?

“So anyway, I think that going paleo was really what gave me the inspiration to—”

Starscream took a gulp of the mimosa someone had pressed into her hand, hoping that the woman she’d somehow ended up talking to wouldn’t notice she was briefly distracted. “Interesting.” 

“I thought so too! Learning how to brew my own kombucha, now, that was a trip. I swear, I must have gone through like, three batches.”

Megatron took a step back, leaning on the bar, which no one else would have noticed. But Starscream had never known Megatron to be anything but rigidly at attention. She kept nodding, watching her boss out of the corner of her eye. Was Megatron sweating? Not that that would be abnormal for anyone else—it was the kind of hot where you could feel the heat on your skin, even in an air conditioned room—but Megatron didn’t sweat. Ever. 

After she shook hands with the tall woman and promised to send her some of her favorite paleo recipes, she walked over to Megatron. “Are you all right?” 

Megatron nodded shortly. “I need you to call Soundwave and tell her to look up a bill from last session—SB 297. About funding for university tech programs.”

Starscrem nodded, making a note on her phone. “Sure. What about SB 752, the tuition bill? You know, the one that you kept us in the office for three straight nights over?”

“Sure.” Megatron sounded distracted. Starscream fought the urge to roll her eyes—Megatron had spent fucking _weeks_ agonizing about that bill and now she didn’t even remember it. “I’ll call her. What else do you want?”

Megatron shook her head. “Just call Soundwave and keep talking to these smug rich idiots. It’s right up your ally.” She took a swig of her drink. 

“Are you drinking whisky?”

“There’s an open bar for a reason, princess.”

“It’s one in the afternoon. You never drink this early.”

Megatron glared at her. “Do your job and call Soundwave.”

“Fine.” _Asshole._

Soundwave sent her two zipped files with detailed bill summaries and background information on Paleo Woman in the time it took for Starscream to get a white chocolate mocha. Normally she’d at least consider getting a French roast for her boss— _but if Megatron wants me to act like a bratty little diva she’ll fucking get a bratty little diva,_ she thought. When she returned to the convention room, Megatron was looking at a holographic display of satellite technology. Her face was turned away from Starscream, so she couldn’t see her expression, but she was leaning to one side, one hand resting heavily on the table. _That’s probably not good._ She scooted across the crowded room with the help of her elbows.

“Senator.” She tapped on Megatron’s shoulder, and then had to stifle a gasp when she saw Megatron’s face. Her boss was pale, and the edges of her hair were damp with sweat.

“Okay, what the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Starscream, you’re being ridiculous.” Megatron took a step away from the table and inhaled sharply, swaying forward. Starscream caught her, wobbling on her stilettos. _Fuck._ She needed to think of something. 

“Soundwave called. The speaker wants a conference call in fifteen about our response to the U.N. General Assembly meeting.”

“All right.” Megatron nodded. “I’ll go up to the hotel room. You stay here.” She took a step away from Starscream and her knees nearly buckled.

 _This is bad._ Starscream grabbed her boss’s arm. “Soundwave wants both of us. Come on.”

Megatron thankfully didn’t question that, and she didn’t speak in the elevator. Once they got to the room she sank down on the bed, exhaling shakily. “What’s the real reason Soundwave is calling?”

“She’s not. I lied.” 

“You little—” Megatron tried to sit up and grabbed her knee, wincing. A bolt of anxiety shot through Starscream and she angrily pushed it away. 

“Shut up and take off your pants.” Megatron made an amused noise and Starscream rolled her eyes, not bothering to respond. Her knee was so swollen that Starscream had to tug sharply on her pant leg to get it off, making an apologetic noise when Megatron winced. “How did this happen?”

“I went to the shooting range on Tuesday and twisted it.”

“So this is a sprain?”

“Not exactly.”

“What do you mean, not exactly?” Megatron hesitated, 

“That knee is basically held together with metal rods and duct tape so it’s possible something could have, uh...slipped out of place.”

Starscream took a deep breath. “And you didn’t think to, I don’t know, call a doctor?”

“In what, the twenty-fifth hour of my day?”

Starscream gingerly touched the side of Megatron’s swollen knee, and Megatron hissed an expletive through gritted teeth. “Okay, I’m calling a car. We’re going to the hospital.”

“Absolutely not.” 

“You’re not seriously going to try and tell me you’re fine.”

“No, you’re right. Call my personal physician.”

“You mean Hook? Hook is in Washington right now.”

“I know. Get them on a plane. I’ll wait.”

“Megatron, they wouldn’t get here until tomorrow morning at the earliest, it would cost hundreds of dollars, and you need someone to look at this now.” 

Her boss struggled to sit up, reaching for her pants. “I’m not going to a hospital.” 

“This isn’t something you can just fucking walk off, you idiot! Stop trying to be stoic for five fucking minutes and use your fucking head!”

Megatron chuckled mirthlessly, wincing as it jostled her leg. “You know there are words in the English language other than ‘fuck,’ princess.”

“Shut up. Okay, our car will be here in five minutes.”

“I’m not going to a hospital.”

“This isn’t optional. You’re hurt and I don’t know how bad it is and I’m not risking you passing out on the plane ride back to Washington.”

“How do you expect to get me in the car?” 

Starscream reached over her to grab her phone charger. “Because if you don’t cooperate I’m calling an ambulance.”

Megatron grabbed her forearm. Her palm was cool and dry, which surprised Starscream, she had expected her to be feverish. “Starscream, I—I can’t go to a hospital, all right? The last time I was there someone tried to kill me, I try to avoid repeat visits to places like that.”

The logical thing to do would have been to shrug off Megatron’s hand and ignore the note of panic in her voice. Megatron was tired and injured and once she had proper treatment she would feel better. Her boss had always told her that there was no place for emotions in their line of work. So it would have made sense for her to tell Megatron they were going anyway, whether she liked it or not. 

“Fine.” Starscream cancelled the car. “We’ll think of something else.” Megatron squeezed her arm and she pulled away. She didn’t look at her face, because she wasn’t sure what she would say if she did. 

“I appreciate it.”

“Shut up and let me think.”

She frantically ran through her memories of Skywarp’s countless sports injuries, ranging from elementary school to college—broken fingers, torn ligaments, concussions. She was pretty sure there had been a time in ninth grade where her sister had gotten kicked in the knee during a soccer game and spent the rest of the semester cracking jokes on the bench. And there had been the time she stepped in a hole while out for a jog...But of course, Skywarp was young and ridiculously healthy and _didn’t_ have a knee held together with duct tape and chewing gum. _Come on, think._ She remembered Skywarp elevating her leg. And icing it. Ice couldn’t make it worse, in any case. 

“Okay.” She grabbed a zebra-printed pillow off the couch and awkwardly tucked it under Megatron’s knee. “Just...rest and don’t get up. I’m going to get some ice.” Megatron adjusted the pillow, reaching for her phone. Starscream grabbed it and threw it on the lime green hotel couch, out of her reach. “I said _rest_.” 

Her boss glared at her. “Thanks, nurse.”

“Shut up.”

As she filled up a plastic bag with ice, Starscream tried to piece together what to do next. She couldn’t treat this on her own. The human body had never been her forte, even when she was studying engineering. It was too squishy and prone to horrifying errors. Putting Megatron on a flight back to Washington was also a bad idea—she didn’t know how to get her through security, or what the air pressure and cramped conditions would do to someone’s knee if something inside it had...slipped. She shuddered and angrily kicked the ice machine, which achieved nothing except scuffing her shiny red pump. 

Soundwave would already have an experienced doctor on the phone. There was no city in America where Soundwave didn’t have people who owed her favors. “Freak.” Starscream muttered under her breath, tying off the bag of ice and shaking it to make sure no cubes fell out. She had connections of course, but nothing compared to Soundwave’s massive rolodex and locked file cabinets. Most of her contacts were involved in politics, journalism, or bartending. It wasn’t like she could call one of her sorority sisters to do an examination, she thought wryly, turning to walk back to the hotel room. A moment later she froze. 

“Wait.”

* * *

Megatron pushed herself up on her elbow, glaring at her. “So this is one of your sorority sisters?”

“Yes. Her name is Knockout, she went to Stanford with me and then got her medical degree at Hopkins, and she was willing to come over on short notice.” Her boss was giving her a suspicious look, she could feel it on the back of her head as she fussed with the hotel’s unfamiliar coffee machine. “She’s a very experienced orthopedic surgeon, Senator.”

“My problem isn’t a bone problem.” 

“Well, my options are limited and it’s likely she’s seen a problem somewhat similar to yours.”

“I want to run a background check on her.”

“We don’t have time for that. You’re just going to have to trust me.” The coffee machine beeped negatively at her and she swore and punched it. “I pressed brew, dammit!”

“I still think we should call Hook.”

A thin trickle of coffee began to pour out of the off-brand Keurig and she shoved a cup under it and turned to Megatron, crossing her arms. “You are seeing a doctor today. If you wanted to see Hook, you should have made an appointment _before_ we flew to this humid hellhole.”

“Listen, princess—”

“Don’t you ‘princess’ me! You’re hurt, you know you’re hurt, and you’re not invincible, no matter how much you like to fucking pretend you are. Just trust I know what I’m doing, okay?”

Megatron regarded her inscrutably for a moment. “All right, Starscream.”

Starscream grabbed the now-full cup of coffee and stomped across the room, handing it to Megatron. “Good.”

Megatron took a sip. Her shoulders were tense, and Starscream wondered if a massage would make her feel better. _Where the fuck did that come from?_ She took a step back, trying to put her thoughts back together. A knock at the hotel door proved a welcome distraction and she hurried to open it, internally bracing herself. Knockout swept in. “Doctor in the house!”

The world was unfair, Starscream concluded, looking Knockout up and down. While her grey work dress was a mess of wrinkles and she’d had to scrape her hair back into a bun and tie a scarf around it to save it from the humidity, her old drinking partner looked like she was immune to the Miami weather. Her sleek red pantsuit didn’t have a single crease in it and her golden brown skin was practically glowing. Starscream plastered on a smile. 

“Knockout!”

“Screamer!” They hugged and kissed each other on both cheeks—a habit they’d picked up when they were studying abroad in Paris. She heard Megatron loudly clear her throat and took a step back, gesturing for Knockout to come further in to their hotel room. 

“All right, I mentioned this on the phone.This is my boss, Megatron—”

“The scourge of the Senate? I’m aware. You’ve apparently got half of Washington begging for mercy, including my old friend here.” She winked at Megatron, who looked unsure how to respond. Starscream wanted to die. No, actually she wanted Knockout to die. In a fire.

“Megatron, this is Knockout. She’s a very experienced doctor—”

“My wife likes to say I break bones for a living,” Knockout joked, and Starscream tried to discreetly kick her.

“Really.” Megatron said flatly, fixing Knockout with a stare that had made a coal lobbyist quit halfway through a meeting. Knockout looked at Starscream questioningly and Starscream raised her eyebrows at her 

Knockout cleared her throat. “Okay, Senator, cards on the table. I’m real good at what I do, alright? I’ve operated on two ambassadors, the governor of Florida, and the CEO of one of the companies holding court down there. They’ve all given me stellar reviews. You’re in safe hands, I promise.”

Megatron looked over at Starscream, who realized with a jolt that Megatron was actually asking for her opinion. _Is hell freezing over today?_ She nodded cautiously.

“Be warned, if you try anything I will make sure you live to regret it.”

Knockout nodded, sweeping her hair back into a ponytail and pulling a pair of rubber gloves out of her pocket. 

* * *

It turned out that Megatron had torn her anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, which Starscream vaguely remembered Skywarp had also done at some point in high school. Rest was necessary, Knockout warned, but the injury was not a disastrous one.

“I’ve prescribed some painkillers.” Knockout snapped her gloves off. “The pharmacy delivers, and the hotel staff will bring them up to your room. Also, I have this.” She pulled a knee brace out of her bag. “It should keep the worst of the strain off your knee when you get up. Which I would recommend you not do until tomorrow. You should also keep icing it.”

“All right.” Megatron nodded. “Thank you for your time, Doctor.”

“Oh, it’s my pleasure.” Knockout tossed her rubber gloves in the trash can with a thud. “I’ll be on my way now, unless there’s anything else you need.”

Megatron nodded at her chief of staff. “Why don’t you walk her out, Starscream?” 

Starscream turned to Megatron, surprised. “What?”

“You’re going down to the convention center. Spend a few hours down there networking and then tell the organizer I’ve taken ill and you’re going to give the speech I was going to give.”

Starscream’s stomach lurched like she was at the top of a roller coaster. “Are you serious?”

“You have the speech memorized, don’t you?”

“Well, yes, but—”

“Then why are you stuttering? Go.” Megatron reached for the remote. “Nice to meet you, doctor.”

Starscream opened her mouth, closed it, and then nodded, grabbing her purse and turning to leave the hotel room before she said something stupid. 

“So.” Knockout drawled as they stepped onto the hotel elevator. “You and the scourge of the Senate? I’m impressed.”

Starscream felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water on her head. “Knockout, what the fuck are you talking about?”

“Screamer, come on.” Knockout tutted sarcastically at her. “You don’t have to lie to me.”

“Why would you—that’s ridiculous. Megatron is my boss. I work for her.”

“And that makes it so much hotter, doesn’t it? Do you call her ‘Senator’ in bed?”

Starscream lunged at her throat and Knockout nimbly sidestepped her, chucking. “You always get defensive when I’m right.”

“I’m working for her for one reason: my career.”

“Really? You called me and promised you’d do any kind of favor if I came by. People don’t just do that for their bosses.”

“She hates hospitals.” Starscream cringed at how that sounded. 

“Uh- _huh.”_ Knockout stepped out of the elevator, her boots clicking on the shiny white tile. “Well, I’ll call you when I need that favor. In the meantime, it’s nice to know you’re as in denial as ever.”

* * *

The hotel room was dark when she opened the door--Megatron had left the television on but it was muted, casting a soft flickering light over the the room. 

“Megatron?” Starscream whispered. Megatron didn’t say anything, and Starscream walked over to the bed, removing the melting bags of ice tucked around her boss’s knee and putting them in the empty ice container. 

“Starscream?” Megatron rolled towards the noise, her eyes half-opening. 

“Who else were you expecting?” 

“I missed you.” Her voice was slurred, like she was drunk. Or—Starscream glanced at the bedside table, noticing that the hospital staff had delivered the pain medication. _Shit._

“Uh-huh.”

“Come to bed.” Megatron caught her wrist, tugging her closer to the bed. 

Starscream tried to tug away. “I need to shower.”

“No.” Megatron sounded almost comically disappointed. “Come here.” Starscream wobbled forward, pitching onto the bed, and Megatron’s arms wrapped around her, pulling her against her chest. She tried to squirm away but only succeeded in getting her legs tangled in the blankets. 

“Fine.” Starscream muttered, kicking off her high heels and hearing them fall with a thud on the floor and curling into Megatron’s chest.

She didn’t expect to fall asleep, but she must have at some point because the next thing she remembered was jolted awake. At first she thought _earthquake_ , and then remembered she wasn’t home in San Francisco, and it wasn’t the bed that was shaking, but Megatron. The senator’s body was rigid, her hands clenched into fists. 

“Megatron?” Starscream whispered, propping herself up on her elbow. Megatron was staring at the corner of the room, her eyes wide open but unseeing. 

“She’s here,” Megatron hissed through gritted teeth.

Starscream glanced at the corner of the room and saw only a watercolor painting of a palm tree in a hideous frame decorated with shells. “Hey. Um, it’s all right. There’s no one there.”

Megatron shook her head. “Senator—Megatron—it’s me, okay. Come on. Would I lie to you?” She hoped that would get a laugh but Megatron shuddered instead. Starscream tried to think of where and when Megatron thought they were. Of course it would help if Megatron ever fucking _told her_ anything about her nightmares. She tried to brush some of Megatron’s hair out of her face and Megatron flinched, grabbing her wrist. Her grip was like iron and Starscream winced before she could stop herself. Megatron made a startled noise, her eyes suddenly focusing on Starscream. 

“Starscream.” She let go of her wrist, guilt flashing across her face. 

“Were you expecting someone else?” That didn’t get a laugh either. _God_ , she was terrible at this. “You were having a nightmare.” Megatron looked away and Starscream scrambled to find something else to say. “Do you, um, want to talk about it?”

“Absolutely not.”

 _Okay, that didn’t work._ She cautiously reached out for a second time, ready to stop if her boss flinched again, and carefully brushed her hair out of her face. Megatron tensed. _Shit_. She pulled away, and her boss made a low noise in the back of her throat. 

“You don’t—” Megatron swallowed, not meeting her eyes. “You don’t have to stop.”

Starscream fought the urge to sigh in relief because _finally_ she’d gotten something right, and stroked Megatron’s hair, combing her fingers through the greying strands. 

“I’m here.” Megatron murmured, her eyes fluttering closed, leaning into her hand. Starscream smoothed her cheekbone with her thumb, reaching up to trace the scar on her temple. 

“That’s right,” Starscream said softly, not sure what Megatron was talking about. “We’re here.”

“We’re here.” Megatron repeated. 

Starscream kept stroking her hair, and Megatron sighed. She noticed that her senator was relaxing into the bed, the tension easing from her body. _I’ll have to remember this for next time,_ she thought, and then realized with a jolt that she was thinking about _next time._

_“People don’t just do that for their bosses,”_ she heard Knockout say in her head. 

Well, Knockout was wrong. This wasn’t even going to happen again. She would have her own room next time they went on a trip. There was no reason for her to care about her boss’s night terrors. No reason at all.

Megatron exhaled softly and Starscream felt it against her palm. “We’re here,” she whispered.

* * *

The first thing Starscream felt when she woke up was Megatron’s arm over her waist, heavy and stiflingly hot. She struggled to sit up, and realized she was still in her grey work dress from the day before. _Great._ The wrinkles would probably never iron out. She should just burn the damn thing. Her boss was asleep, her mouth hanging half-open in a way that would be perfect blackmail material. Where had she put her phone the night before? She looked at the bedside table. Not there. It wasn’t in her pocket, she’d feel it. Could it—yes, it was on the floor. She snatched it up, but noticed the text before she could open the camera. 

She shook Megatron’s shoulder. “Senator.” Megatron made a contented noise and tried to tug her closer. “Megatron, wake up now. Optimus is announcing.”

Megatron’s eyes popped open. “What?”

“Oh, of course _that_ gets you up. Soundwave has rock-solid info that Her Holiness is declaring her candidacy at the Iowa 80 truck stop at noon today.”

Her boss tried to sit up and winced. Starscream groped for the bottle of medicine on the bedside table and tossed it to her. “Starscream, we need to act now.”

“Really? I thought we’d go to the beach. Maybe hit some of the bars. I could use a margarita.”

“Don’t sass me. Let the conference people know we’re leaving early and get us tickets back, I need to call Soundwave. If we’re not in D.C. by this afternoon everything could go to hell.”

Starscream rolled her eyes. “I’ve had tickets on standby, idiot. Do you really think I didn’t plan for this?”

Megatron looked at her, a strange expression on her face. “Well done, Starscream.” She felt a panicked giddiness bubble up in her chest and jumped out of the bed, away from the confusing emotions. 

“I’m taking a shower now, because _someone_ stopped me from taking one last night.” She turned and stabbed a finger at Megatron. “Don’t try anything stupid like leaving the hotel room on that knee.” 

The hotel had decent water pressure, at least, and as she scalded the previous night away she forced herself to think about the transition to majority leader and not Megatron’s lips against her palm or the praise in her voice. It worked. Sort of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually found a hotel for them to stay at in Miami check it out  
> https://www.yvehotelmiami.com/  
> And if you're interested, here's how to treat a torn ACL!  
> https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/acl-injury-what-to-know#1


End file.
